CANBERRA, Aug. 1 (Xinhua) -- Australia is seeing a rise in maternal age, increasing from 28.9 years in 1998 to 31.3 years in 2023, government statistics have revealed.
Women aged 35 and over now account for 28 percent of births in Australia, up from 23 percent in 2010, while the share of mothers under 25 has fallen from 18 percent to 11 percent during that time, according to figures released Thursday by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW).
"Our latest data shows that mothers are continuing to give birth later in life," said Louise Catanzariti, spokesperson for the AIHW, the independent government agency that provides health and welfare statistics.
More expectant mothers in Australia are accessing antenatal care early, with 79 percent receiving care in the first trimester in 2023, up from 61 percent in 2013, Catanzariti said.
Despite more older mothers, Australia recorded 285,305 births in 2023, but the birth rate fell to 52 per 1,000 women -- the lowest since 1998 and down from 66 in 2007, it said.
Hospital births dominate, making up 97 percent of deliveries, with caesarean rates rising annually to 41 percent in 2023, the AIHW said, adding public hospitals provide the most maternity care.
Australia's perinatal mortality rate in 2023 was 11 per 1,000 births, with stillbirths at 8.7 and neonatal deaths at 2.3, it said, adding neonatal deaths are stable, but stillbirths have risen, likely due to real increases and better reporting after law changes. ■
